*please note that this blog was written on the date stated, but due to lack of internet access it has been posted as of today*

November 24, 2008

Hi Everyone! We are busily getting ready for Mumbai. It’s been incredibly hectic and exciting and there are still moments when all this seems surreal. We are leaving on Saturday, November 29, for Mumbai! Shivani is jetting out from Los Angeles and Sapna from her hometown of Lubbock, TX where she will be spending thanksgiving with her family. While we will be flying separately we will be landing in Mumbai on the same day and will be whisked off to The Leela Kempenski Hotel where will be staying. Check the hotel out at www.theleela.com and then click on Mumbai. It looks absolutely gorgeous and we are thrilled that Saavn and Verizon have arranged for us to stay there for three weeks.

We don’t get much of a break to settle in though! As far as we know, we start rehearsals right away on Monday, December 1. We’re getting a taste of how tightly packed a performer’s schedule can be. We know for sure we’ll be trying to get our sleep on our flight over there!

We don’t have complete details on our complete schedule in India just yet.  But the rough outline is we rehearse for our first week with Marty, and then shoot for the following two weeks. We should be wrapped with production on Dec. 24 in time for Christmas! ☺

Sapna is planning on staying in Mumbai for a few extra days after the shoot. Shivani will be staying in India till Jan 21. She’s going to be going to Kolkata, Amdhabad, Chennai, and Bangalore for dance related activities. Shivani’s never been to Kolkata or Amdhabad and is looking forward to exploring India!

We both will be going to NYC for a Bollypop Reception Event on January 23, 2009. We’re still deciding what to wear! ☺ Maybe we’ll find something gorgeous in India.

This week has been a little insane with us trying to cram in all our last minute shopping, getting into shape, and organizing our lives before we go. Sapna is busy packing to go home to Lubbock, TX, which is giving her even less time in Los Angeles to wrap everything up. Trying to get other work-study dancers to cover her Thursday night shifts at Millennium Dance Complex, scheduling a photo shoot with a leading Los Angeles headshot photographer, and preparing for the thanksgiving festivities and cold weather of Lubbock, TX and the sultry heat of India has left Sapna little time to spare. Shivani’s scrambling because this win was completely unexpected on her part, and she has a lot of unfinished projects she needs to complete before she can leave. This last week in LA is divided between getting traveller’s checks, packing, doing voice over recordings for the Instructional Bollywood DVD she just choreographed, and coordinating with the producer and editor how to continue the post production work while she’s in Mumbai through the advent of technology such as Skype. Ahhhhhhh….the insanity! Thank god we both are such good friends, live five minutes away from one another, and can check in with each other over a thousand times a day, just to make sure we got it all covered!

On that note, we’re both going to sign off and return to the craziness we like to call our lives! LOL. Our next blog will be from India! See you all there!

Sapna and Shivani